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bittercynic

1,944 karma · joined March 27, 2013

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bittercynic··on The AI Race Just Got Awkward
I have purchased a gun in California, and I thought the process was pretty reasonable. Maybe even too lax.
bittercynic··on Toyota is taking the Corolla electric
It depends on what you're doing. If a raspberry pi meets the needs of your project, I'd say it /is/ better because it's cheaper.
bittercynic··on The Deathray: A simple way for an untrusted site to freeze a Mac
On my M1 MacBook Air with MacOS 12 it hangs. The mouse pointer still moves, but I can't bring up the force quit dialogue, and couldn't get anything else to work either. A youtube video in another tab kept playing until I held the power button to force a shutdown.
bittercynic··on Who People Talk to When They're Struggling
I don't necessarily disagree, but if you want social connection and you're willing to work at it and endure some discomfort in the process, you can find it. From your perspective your situation is hopeless, but you can (eventually, with work) adjust your perspective and find a path toward a more satisfying existence. If you're able to work with a therapist I'd very much recommend that, and if you don't connect with your therapist find a different one. It's normal to try a few before finding the one that works for you.
bittercynic··on You probably own this 7-Eleven (and that's why it looks so sad)
I think we're in agreement that commodification is often harmful, and should be constrained more than it currently is. It seems many of our fellow commenters are pretty enthusiastic about turning everything into a financial asset, though.
bittercynic··on Why aren't smart people happier? (2022)
I kinda would expect a person with a strong back or legs to be happier. I think there's a strong correlation between health and fitness and happiness.
bittercynic··on Why aren't smart people happier? (2022)
As a single and childless person, I don't like the implication that those are marks of a less fulfilling life. I know some people married with kids who seem very happy and fulfilled, and some profoundly miserable and trapped. I may be missing out on some good things, but I'm also avoiding some extreme misery, and generally do feel content and fulfilled.
bittercynic··on Anthropic confidentially submits draft S-1 to the SEC
You can protect yourself, but many won't be aware of the situation until it's too late, and institutionally managed funds won't be able to change their rules in time to avoid holding these as part of the index funds they hold.
bittercynic··on Leo's first encyclical attacks technological messianism
I've only used cabs a few times, but it seemed to be the operators were both. They were squeezed deep into the economic margins, and they were also often terrible to their passengers.

Same for Uber/Lyft, but they really tried to earn a good review while still providing a pretty unpleasant experience.

bittercynic··on The real cost of owning a home
People seem to have very strong feelings about the subject (myself included), and some seem to think there's only one correct conclusion.

Renting an apartment and owning a home have so many differences that it doesn't make much sense to compare the two.

Many people seem to assume they'll be moving every few years, but if you want to stay in the same place for life the equation looks very different. I hope to be done paying the mortgage around the same time I'm too old to work for a living, and if that lines up it's a pretty big win on the own instead of renting side.

bittercynic··on In the UK, EVs are cheaper than petrol cars, thanks to Chinese competition
I'm in CA and only charge at home, and pay 14c/kwh.
bittercynic··on Got kicked out of uni and had the cops called for a social media website I made
I don't think "this is how facebook started" is much of a defense.
bittercynic··on US private credit defaults hit record 9.2% in 2025, Fitch says
You may not be able to properly let dollar cost averaging do its thing if you rely on your job to invest, since there's a high correlation between periods where people are out of work and periods where asset prices are lower.
bittercynic··on Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
I like to read human comments because I'd like to know what my fellow humans think. I'd prefer not to read low-effort, throw away comments, but other than that I want to know what people think about different topics.
bittercynic··on Tony Hoare has died
Why not the both?

Some seem to think that math is somehow above plumbing, but modern society couldn't exist without both, and I'd argue that modern plumbing is more critical to our health and well being than modern math.

bittercynic··on Payphone Go
I'm absolutely going hunting for some nearby payphones this weekend!

In the recording on this one [1] the caller states that the payphone is on the caltrain station platform, but on the map it's about 1000 feet from there. Searching the address on google maps correctly shows it at the station, though.

eta: found it on street view! [2]

[1] https://walzr.com/payphone-go/?phone=398

[2] https://maps.app.goo.gl/4pzjemwUqHYgnLHs8

bittercynic··on Chrome extensions spying on users' browsing data
It is, but the particular ways Google will harm you are very different from how small/medium criminals will harm you.
bittercynic··on The US is flirting with its first-ever population decline
Don't be sorry, I got what I wanted, and am content with my life. We have to miss out one one thing to enjoy something else.
bittercynic··on The US is flirting with its first-ever population decline
As a man who's never wanted kids, and is now getting to an age where it probably wouldn't be a good idea, those weren't really the big factors for me.

Having a kid is just an unfathomably large commitment. If you bring a kid into the world, I believe you're responsible for creating the conditions where that kid can grow into a healthy, well adjusted adult, and that's seemed like an increasingly impossible commitment for the past few decades.

bittercynic··on Murder-suicide case shows OpenAI selectively hides data after users die
This has to be one of the major goals. Think how effective it could be for political advertising for people who treat it like a friend.
bittercynic··on How getting richer made teenagers less free
The 30 year fixed mortgage is an insanely good deal, and I say this as a guy who has one. The monthly cost can only stay the same (and decline due to inflation) or decline if interest rates fall and you refinance or adjust the loan. If interest rates go up, you're completely protected.

A mortgage may be more than rent for a similar place now, but I suspect it won't be that many years before the lines cross.

bittercynic··on Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices
The shoppers at costco vary drastically by location. If you have more than one warehouse reasonably close by, it may be worth your while to try them all.
bittercynic··on Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices
Dollar General and their ilk are behemoths compared to the shops that might have served these areas before they rolled in. It's possible they're the only game in town because they engaged in dumping or other dirty/illegal tactics to drive out established businesses.

I'm not an expert on the topic, but I don't think it's a reach to think that they might have engineered this situation.

bittercynic··on All praise to the lunch ladies
Absolutely. I work at a school where the food is OK, but just, and the school across the street has very good food. One of our students used to sneak into the other school in the mornings for breakfast. He made the mistake of bringing the food back to our school where people asked questions, and pretty soon the other school knew he wasn't their student and banned him.

Something seems really off to me about different kids within a couple hundred feet of each other getting drastically different quality of food.

bittercynic··on Life After Work
There are some extra weird things going on, though. Many people are simultaneously getting poorer by economic/financial stability, and have less access to medical care and safe housing, but at the same time enjoying more luxurious vehicles than ever and ordering door dash multiple times per week.

I'm not criticizing people in that situation. Many people close to me wouldn't have a chance no matter how thrifty they were.

This is not some "revealed preferences" situation either. Something very harmful is happening, and it's not easy to see exactly what it is or why it's happening, though I suspect increasing wealth inequality plays a big part.

bittercynic··on Boring is what we wanted
I have an old card printer that I only use occasionally, and firing up a windows 7 virtual machine is (was?) the most convenient way to do it. I think it's not so uncommon to have old devices around that don't work with newer versions of windows.
bittercynic··on Boring is what we wanted
They say no downside, but if you need to run windows 7 in virtualbox, you still need an intel mac (or other non-arm computer).
bittercynic··on Life next to 199 data centres
The direction of wind and shape of terrain has a huge effect on noise, too. If a noise source is down wind of you the gradient in wind speed wrt elevation effectively makes the noise curve upwards, and even very loud things can sometimes be inaudible at ground level.
bittercynic··on Amazon strategised about keeping water use secret
I appreciate that my view isn't the only consideration for that kind of decision, but when a new building goes up much larger than anything else in the area, and affects the skyline for thousands of people, I think that should be one of the considerations.
bittercynic··on Amazon strategised about keeping water use secret
One went in 1/4 mile from my home a couple years ago. I ignored the notices of development because I thought it was far enough that it wouldn't affect me, but it blocks the view of the mountains that I used to enjoy, and sometimes I can hear noise from its cooling system (I assume).

I wish I'd known what was coming, and gone to the meetings to oppose it.

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